1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing technique for performing an image processing on an input image.
2. Description of the Background Art
To address demands for improvement in image quality in recent years, generally, an image processing apparatus such as a printer performs an image processing dedicated to each of the kinds of images for the reason that requirements for optimum image quality vary among the kinds of images.
In order to perform a process dedicated to each of the kinds of images, for example, information of an object expressing the kind of an image (such as a character, a chart, a photographic image, or the like) is added to an image (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-165690 and 10-51652(1998)). The object information (image processing information) is recorded using, for example, two bits per pixel in a layer formed separately from the image data.
The object information, however, is managed separately from the image data so that the handling performance is not good. For example, when image data is rotated, edition (rotating process) for the object information in correspondence with the rotation of the image data is necessary, and the process is complicated.